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The Up 5_6, shown here, was first
released in 1969, one of many successful
collaborations with C&B Italia (the
company from which B&B Italia evolved).
It’s a pop-culture beauty that regularly
shows in design museums (most recently
in the new exhibit by Antonio Citterio in
the Museum of Design at the Milan
Triennale). It is a fine example for those
new to Pesce’s work of the grace that this
multiple award-winner exhibits. As is
usual with Pesce, the femininity is
immediately obvious, with bold womanly
curves, and a warm maternal embrace for
the sitter. “I was telling a personal story
about my notion of women,” he explains,
“that despite themselves, women have
always been prisoners of their own
making. Along these lines, I liked the idea
of giving this armchair a feminine shape
with a ball and chain, the traditional
image of the prisoner.”
But this should not be confused with
negative connotations of womanhood.
On the contrary, as Pesce explains: “We
are the product of a long history,” he says,
“we thought that the best way to think
was the masculine way, using the
masculine side of our brain. Our best
values were coherence, strength,
homogeneity, dogmatism, seriousness,
rigidity. For a long time I’ve thought we
have to use the other side of the brain.
The female side of the brain is
multidisciplinary, full of feeling; it is joy,
elasticity, softness. We need feminine
design, which is much friendlier to the
human being.”
Originally, the voluptuous and
feminine nature of the Up chair was
emphasised as it ‘breathed’ into life for
new owners. Formed from polyurethane
foam and upholstered in stretch fabric,
the chairs were vacuum-packed, causing a
10 percent reduction in their volume, and
then expanding once they came into
contact with the air.
The classic design was updated by B&B
Italia in 2000. While the aesthetic
wasn’t altered, B&B Italia was able to
bring its knowledge of 21st century
high-performance materials to the fore.
And today, in honour of the 40th
anniversary of this design icon, new silver
upholstery is available, personalised with
your own serial number. So, when you
want to sit down, get an Up.
The up side
Such a large, boldly-coloured
object can dominate a room,
and its positioning needs to be
carefully considered. For most
interiors, the following should be
taken into account:
Clear the clutter: surrounding an
Up with lots of smaller pieces
will over-emphasise its bulk.
Don’t display: but neither should
it be left as an island, put on
display like a gallery piece. A
happy medium would be a large
room, with a few equally
beautiful pieces clustered
nearby, but enough surrounding
space to appreciate its form.
Use light surroundings: the bold
red colouring is best offset with
paler hues.
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Bin Hendi
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